Faulted circuit indicators (FCIs) may be attached to power lines and used to detect electrical faults in power distribution systems. The FCI may detect anomalies in the current and/or voltage of the power line signal, and provide an indication of fault to technicians working to isolate the location of a malfunction in the power distribution system. The indication of a detected fault may be provided, for example, in a visual manner using a mechanical indicator (e.g., a “flag”) and/or a blinking Light Emitting Diode (LED). However, a technician may require a clear line of sight and a close proximity to the FCI in order to reliably observe the visual fault detection indicators “in the field.”
After the problem in the power distribution system has been isolated and resolved, some FCIs may have their fault detection indicators manually reset before they may continue to monitor the power line. Resettable FCIs, which may automatically reset the fault detection indicator after a predetermined period of time, can alleviate the work of manually resetting FCIs. However, in some instances, resettable FCIs may clear the fault indication prior to it being observed by the technician, thus complicating the trouble-shooting process.
Accordingly, modern FCIs having wireless communication capabilities have been developed to quickly report the indication of a detected fault to a remote station without the having to be observed in the field by a technician. However, various aspects of wireless communication may stress the on-board power supply of an FCI. For example, synchronizing the transmissions of multiple FCIs along a power line can be time-consuming and may draw a disproportionate amount of on-board power, thus potentially shortening the life span of the FCI.